Enjoy Spring with our New Sommelier and Wine!

From Los Angeles, Justin Timsit joins our Rittenhouse staff as our new Sommelier. We are excited to announce this new member of our team and the enhancements he will be making to our beverage program.

Justin was introduced to wine and surrounded by its culture at a very young age. He was raised in a family from Morocco where wine stood alongside every meal. He learned to appreciate wine as an experience and as a story, rather than just a libation. This passion translates into his work:

“I wanted to learn from the winemakers, and translate their stories at the table. Over time, I developed a palate for wines of balance, and energy, that wouldn’t tire after one glass.”

Justin gravitates towards “wines of complexity and finesse that celebrate the transparency of their terroir, and create intense and memorable flavors that complement each dish.”

Here at The Rittenhouse, Justin is off to a busy start. This weekend, he will be debuting his Spring wine list, reorganized to be more user-friendly, along with a new wines by the glass list that parallels the flavors of the season.

On the horizon for Justin’s wine program is one of the most exciting tools in the wine world: the Coravin System. This high-tech instrument offers a unique experience for the wine connoisseur, allowing us to extract wine without uncorking the bottle and serve exclusive vintages by the glass. The Coravin device pressurizes the bottle with argon gas; and when the system is removed, the cork reseals preventing the wine from ever being exposed to air. Justin is excited to deliver this high-end wine service in Lacroix, making it the first restaurant in Philadelphia to premier this elite wines-by-the-glass experience.

Be sure to stop by Lacroix and Bar210 to meet Justin and taste some of the wonderful additions he is bringing to our wine and beverage repertoire!